A Relentless Pursuit

Welcome to the summit church. My name is Jason Gaston it on the family ministries faster here.

It's amazing that whenever someone that is not Pastor JD gets up on the state and the lights come on the look of sadness that comes upon your face never ceases to amaze me.

But it's me. Here I am. I want to give a special shout out for folks over at the Blue Ridge campus who have just completed their first weekend of doing Saturday evening services and Sunday morning services together. That's huge.

And if you are watching this right now it Blue Ridge and wonder if you should go to Saturday night service the answer that is absolutely yes get there now today were to talk about the search for something that has been lost. Okay, search for something that is been lost. Let me just ask all across our campuses. If you feel like you are the type of person that constantly loses things just rub your head up right now. You constantly lose things okay a good indicator of that would be if you're a parent you have already lost the sticker to pick up your children and some kids okay that's probably good indicator that that's you are right I lose things I lose things all the time icons we lose the TV remote at my house okay and when we lose the TV remote. We go looking for going I can remember several times where I can't find it we were torn out all the cushions off the couch, looked everywhere possible. I looked into the laundry room and finally ends up with me lifting up one into the couch with my wife is on her hands and knees scrimmaging underneath and it's there that she found by 15 of the things that you lost throughout the year right like it's all there underneath the couch.

It's crazy that you've lost a wedding band that you spent endless amount of time looking for a wedding wedding band. Maybe you are a parent and you are still looking for your sanity that you have lost okay after raising multiple children and wondering what happened to a normal life.

Or maybe, maybe this is culminated for you in the losing of a child in some capacity. Maybe you've been out in public and and you have looked down and noticed that your child is no longer where you thought they work that actually happened to me. I have three kids. I have an eight-year-old named Holt a five-year-old named Annie and a three-year-old named Parks when Holtz was three years old, I decided that on Black Friday after I got out of the deer stand. I would go to Lowe's now so you guys of Gloucester man card that is the recipe to help you get back okay go deer hunting on Black Friday and then go to Lowe's if you need help with that are Alamance County caves can help you out okay. I went to Lowe's to the thought of your great idea to take the kid out of the house. My wife.after having a family around on Thanksgiving and soak was on the hunt for an air compressor and so we go to Lowe's and Verity, as I see it in the middle of the aisle in the back end of Lowe's is the air compressor us on the ads and I start to have a conversation with the sales associate who usually knows nothing guy and I begin the conversation with him on talk with them and what went on for Mike at 234 minute conversation probably ended up in somewhere around 10 to 15 minutes and then I totally forgotten that my kid was walking next to me and I looked down and I noticed he was gone.

I missing a child is one thing, losing a child in Lowe's on Black Friday is a whole different deal. Okay.

And so I did what any good parent would do. I try to play pool 00 old man hey bro you see my kidneys like to know you did here which really scares me think he's been gone longer than I thought.

So I start walking up and down a few aisles and start to get a little bit more panicking. Anybody ever been in that book before. Okay I'm starting little more panicky and then I caught a glimpse of him on the corner of my eye, Solon, and I started running full steam towards him because I found them in an effort to throw my arms around him and then it was then I noticed that something about this picture wasn't right.

See Holt was three years old at the time he was potty training and the kid had complete and he saw toilet in the back of Lowe's and he said that's where I need to go so he pulled his pants down and he sat down on the floor model toilet at the back of Lowe's and thought no time better than now. Let's get this done baby. What once was lost has now been found. Today we will be in the gospel of Luke chapter 15 we are going to look at one of the three I just went from a keeping of the toilet Lowe's salute 15 okay when you look at one of the three parables that Jesus tells in a row about finding something that has been lost. See Luke 15. Jesus is continuing a conversation with a group of people and he's continuing to and veil to them. His purpose, his vision and his mission for coming to the earth to the telling of these three parables. But let's read this together. If you have your Bibles with you to be on your screen.

Luke 15 verse one. Now the tax collectors in the center that's got to be an important piece of this passage of what will get to it a little bit later were all gathering around to hear him. You see, Jesus had a knack for creating crowds and the crowds weren't always the type of people that we would normally associate with. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, much like most religious people like to do like the motor about things that this man welcomes sinners and he eats with them now at this point in the story.

Things are already getting a little tense. Okay to welcome someone to your table was not just to sit down and enjoy a meal with them.

It was actually a sign of acceptance. When you when you go throughout history and you read stories and you look in the Scripture, the breaking of bread and the dining together around the table has always had significance to it and it's usually a sign of acceptance. It's like extending your right arm and saying I welcome you here in the fact that Jesus was doing this with the tax collectors and the sinners was really taking off the religious right. In fact, was happening right here is actually building off the story that Jesus tells one chapter prior in Luke chapter 14, Jesus tells a story about a man who has prepared a feast around the table and he sends out an invitation to do some well-to-do people but all the people had something better to do exegesis like well, the, the, the table has been prepared, the food is ready, let's just send out our people into the back roads and go out with the alleyways in the country way and get all of the riffraff and bring them around the table to eat and enjoy the feast.

And now in Luke chapter 15 Jesus says I am that man and these are those people.

The Jesus told them this parable.

Suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them that he not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it, and when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and he goes home calls it a day. Life is good. Found what was lost. Then he calls his friends and his neighbors together and he says rejoice with me, that's good tequila bit later to.

I have found my washing now I tell you that in the same way there will be men. Many, many more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who do not need repentance know one of the great things I love about the reading of parables is that they usually don't need a ton of explaining is not a lot of hidden meanings in it because a parable is taking a spiritual truth and making it tangible for you and I do understand. It's like every youth pastor's dream come true okay the reality of the story is this. We have a sheet that is lost. You have a shepherd who goes after it and you have a celebration that gets thrown down, not when you survey the Old Testament you see some pretty intriguing things about the people's understanding of God as a shepherd you have Psalm 23 the one that many of us here at funerals and we hear quoted on things and put on coffee mugs. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Isaiah 40 verse 11, he will tend his flock like a shepherd, and he will gather the lambs in his arms and he carries them close to his heart.

This is the verse that inspired every Southern Baptist churches stained-glass window right Jesus the shepherd hair blowing in the wind sheep in his arms, patting it is like I've read. That's it.

That's the verse right there okay Ezekiel chapters chapter 34 verse six God's actually rebuking the shepherds of Israel and this is what he says.

Then he says my sheep have wandered over all the mountains and on every high hills. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched for. Look for them. The shepherds were too busy worrying and caring about themselves that it's interesting you think what shepherd would do that in 2005 are a read this in 2005 in Turkey 400 sheep plunged to their death. After walking off a cliff 400.

They just walked off a cliff 1500 of them actually just that type of phone that guy let's go 400 of them died. The first 400 to fall the rest of them landed on top of it save them. You know, the shepherds were doing eating breakfast.

They were indulging themselves that it was $100,000 mistake and he looks funny and in this Ezekiel 34 God makes an indictment on the shepherds, but then he gives this beautiful answer in verses 11 and 12. He said hey my shepherds are doing what they're supposed to do so for this is what the Lord says I myself will search for my sheep and look after them as a Shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so I will look after my sheep and I will rescue them from the places that they are scattered on top of that the Bible has plenty to say about us being sheep. Specifically, Psalm 100 verse three we says this we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Isaiah chapter 53 verse six. If you grew up around church we love to quote this verse allots a beautiful verse with great truth we all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us turning to our own way.

But God has laid upon him the iniquity of us all is a beautiful beautiful truth here that God has always been about the task of pursuing what belongs.

Even when we fall short. Is he Jesus shows up in this parable and he says, guess what I am that shepherd and you are that sheep if you're taking notes today.

The primary thing that I want us to see is that our shepherd pursues us as we wander in the wilderness are shepherd pursues us as we wander in the wilderness, you know, one of the primary flaws of the religious leaders was that just like the early rabbis.

They believe that a sinner had to seek God first and when a sender been believed and repented and conform to the commands of the rabbis and the Pharisees.

It was then and only then that they would be restored into God's favor, but aren't we grateful church that that is not the way that God operates is he Jesus taught something completely different. He says this I do the pursuing and you do the surrendering to see the God we see in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is one who loves despite please one who loves despite our sin. He's the one who loves despite our waywardness. Despite our efforts, no matter how great they are or how terribly short they fall. He's one who loves despite our failures, despite everything from the complaining under Moses. Governments during the Old Testament, the people were complaining about Moses's leadership like we should go back to it. We should go back to Egypt. The place where we just came from to the rejection of God's came from the idolatry under the kings of the compromise under the Romans God across thousands of years has pursued a stubborn people that we call the church and when all else fails, he appears in the flesh. He knocks on the doors and he dines at their tables and he says I've come for you and I will not let you go until I find that's a beautiful truth that I don't want you to miss in this parable, look at the universe for look at the others look at this beautiful statement that Jesus says about this fairly says he searches for the sheep until he what until he finds it know. Maybe you're here today and you're the sheep that's lost in the pain of a marriage gone bad.

You need to know that your shepherd is pursuing maybe maybe you're joining us online your life through minutes and you are locked up behind bars. Or maybe you have a family member that is in prison or and or jailed and you are wondering, could a loving God ever forgive the wrong that I've done, you need to know that he is pursuing relentlessly.

Maybe you lost it all in your business practice because of bad ethics or you live or you cheated somebody out of money or even steam and money for the government for years. You need to know that your shepherd is pursuing you and he is pursuing you and he will not stop until he finds you number two. A little celebration would do is also good. A little celebration with yourself now. Okay, in case you guys have figured out I'm a pretty loud person. Okay, it's just a reality of my life. I'm not angry at you. I'm not overly optimistic about life in general. I'm just loud. Okay I'm back I coach baseball in a league here in the West Raleigh area, not parents tell me all the time that they can hear me from the parking lot on the lower field. Okay, it is not that I'm screaming down eight-year-old throat under six sided that the kid ran to the right base okay.

I'm just excited… Get excited about little things in life, man, I get excited when my kid goes the bathroom, not in his pants, but in the toilet right I get excited about things in life, man. What jacked you up like what what gets you what gets you excited. What really just gets in your guts and make you scream with joy. What is it is it that your your college team is in the top five in the country right now in your pumped up about increasing national title hopeless and on the NC State fair. That's never going to be true for me. Okay maybe maybe maybe you're a basketball fan and you're like me and my team this year. We got the five star recruits or role. I can't wait for the season and in five days and when they lose to some D2 school you like right but what what what is it that jacked you up.

What do you get excited about because a little celebration life we do is also good would not really what I recently heard from our college pastor Dave Turner that in the last 4 1/2 weeks since moving 20 college students. Okay, touches 20 college students not kids that like rubbing church alike said they were Christians would all live right 20 college students who were far from God have recently professed price on college campuses in Raleigh-Durham in the last four weeks people for weeks and are in our family ministry or kids in our student ministry seen 100 kids in student baptized this year alone already which by the way, if you're interested in being baptized good news for you. Okay were doing baptism. Starting next weekend you talk to somebody about what it means to be baptized before the Lord's been pressing that on your heart to follow him through obedience to believers baptism we would love to talk with you after the service and let you know how you can get plugged in. With that, but the reason listed, we don't celebrate numbers just for the sake of numbers were not passionate about numbers at the summit were passionate about people because we really believe that people are the mission and the reason that I get jacked up when I hear that 20 college students have recently come to faith in Christ and 100 kids and students have been baptized alone this year already is because every person represents a story in every story started as the sheep that was wandering in the wilderness and a beautiful shepherd that pursued them and restored them.

How do I know that to be true because I was once that she wandering in the wilderness, it sounds a middle school boy seventh grade I think rubbing church. My parents and take me to church. We were bad people. We just didn't go. I never willingly ever step foot in a church on my own. Ever. Up to this point.

Seventh grade rolls around I got the hots for a girl.

Okay, middle school romance. Don't talk about right you like a girl you want to go out with me were we going to go but I can't drive can take anywhere mop them up and take me right I got the hots for this girl and she comes up to me and she says hey, there's this thing going on my church disguise can be preaching.

There's a speaker Junior's were preaching the skies in the be speaking used to be a chaplain for collegiate football team.

There's going to be pizza you should come unlike football, pizza, chips amen. Let's go right. It was that girl's invitation to me. That got me in the foot of the door in the first place.

What she did know was at that point my life I Doherty broken into two houses. I been put in handcuffs and put in the backseat of the police car when I was eight years old.

The trajectory that I was on my life was not leading to a great place it was leaving the prison and that not I should up to a church.

The very first time not hold. I heard a guy preach on the sower of the seeds in the soil that landed on I remembered for the first time thinking my heart is my heart is hard.

I'm a sinner in need of the grace of God I am the sheep wandering in the wilderness, and there is a great Redeemer that pursued me.

She stepped out in faith and she went after me and I saw the glory of Jesus for the very first time. I know that to be true because that was me know. We use this phrase a lot around here at the summit. We've been asking our students in our student ministry. This a lot.

I asked you this several months ago I stood in this pulpit who is your one who is the one person that you are pleading with God to save this year who's the one person that you are asking Jesus to save the one person that you know was the sheet wandering in the wilderness that you are asking God to pursue relentlessly and go after the reason we narrow that thing down to one is because so easily and so often we get caught up in this idea of movement. We are in a movement driven generation. We love the idea of movements.

We love social justice we love great causes. We love things that we can be a part of. But we forget our place in it.

We love movements as long as everybody else is doing the work to movements don't often start with the masses. More times than not, they start with the one who is your one who was the one person that God has laid on your heart that is wandering in the wilderness is that your coworker in your workplace. Maybe it's the person on your team.

Maybe it's the person that lives in the cul-de-sac that you can't stand. Maybe it's the family member that you dread having conversations with over and over and over again. Maybe it's someone in your community organizations. Whoever it is who is the one listen and this isn't just an idea. I just got a text message last night after our services from one of our student pastors at our North Raleigh campus from a student said hey dude, do you have a Bible and our student pastor said yeah why he goes because I found my one and lead him to Christ last night all yell that's good stuff.

Now I think that a lot of us don't get excited about the lost women of faith for various reasons, but one of the reasons primarily as I think we've either simply forgotten the work of God in our lives. We don't believe that what he's done in the past. He can do in the future now about going a little bit of attention. Okay, so if you're here today you are not a believer I'm so pumped that you're here we are glad that you're here.

What I'm getting ready to go through is going to probably be the primary thing you think why Christians are weird okay but I will go off the stand because I feel like I can't go through this without him in this home. It absolutely baffles me. It absolutely baffles me that we can show up on a weekend for worship and be nonresponsive to the great love that we have in Christ that we can sit in our chairs are in our pews or whatever temperature and whatever type of seizure sitting on okay that we can come in and put her hands in our pockets and spectate and watch and never engage in the grace of God extended to us through Christ through rejoicing and worship. But listen, listen, what happens in Luke 15 verse five he says when he finds it, he that shepherd joyfully puts the sheep on his shoulders and goes home and then he calls his friends and his neighbors together and he says rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep and I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over the one sinner who repents than over the 99 righteous, who do not need to repent and you just catch something here for a moment. Notice the domino effect of joy. This does look at it. Joy starts in the heart of the shepherd and it trickles down to the church. Your Paul noted this in the New Testament and Jesus picks up on it as well and basically saying is it's out of his joy. God's joy he extends grace to his people, and as we receive his grace.

It produces joy and us, which then leads to rejoicing as the body nothing else on the face of the planet should thrill our souls more than the realities of the gospel that he sought me that he saw you when we were the sheep wandering in the wilderness that the shepherd laid down his life and he came after us. It made us. It took us from death to life.

Did you hear that a lot church. Why is it that so many of us live our lives like were already dead.

Now Augustine once said Augustine was an early church father and he said oh that thou would enter into my heart that I know some of y'all just urge that I will because Pastor Jenny wrote a book, stop asking Jesus in your heart. Okay, just listen this again says oh that you would enter into my heart and inebriated means literally filled to the brim overcome me, take me over completely, that I may forget my illness that I may be so overwhelmed with your glory with your truth with the beauty of the gospel that I may forget my shortcoming that I might forget my failures and I might be embracing you my soul good lesson rejoicing.

It doesn't start with us.

It starts with God.

God initiates it.

Worship is just our response to the great truth of who is okay so what working to do might make some of your really uncomfortable. I want to know that that's okay. I that's okay but were actually put this in the practice for second. Thanks so we all like all this will be good. Some you like I can't. He's asked me to respond right to raise a hand up. You can even just lift up a finger okay right here that's you that's good art that could be your side of rejoicing. That's fine on the way to read off a list of truths in these truths should cause our hearts to come alive because the beauty of the reality of God.

They would, but you can do a Chris Gaeta by whatever it is you want to do okay to do this right here you guys ready already argue regarding real John chapter 1 verse 12. Although I may have been orphan. God now calls me his child. John 1515.

I was once an enemy of the cross but Jesus now calls me friend. Romans 51 I was once at war and at odds with God.

But now I have peace and abatement had been made right with Christ.

First Corinthians 619 through 20. You were so loved and cherished, that you were purchased with the price. Literally, the good Shepherd would one day lay down at the gate and take the bike from the enemy he would lay down his life for his sheep to bring about their salvation.

First Corinthians chapter 12 verse 27 although you were once alone in the wilderness in Christ.

You now belong to the body.

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14 through 16. Alienation from God was your anthem, but now you have direct access to the throne of grace, through Christ. Romans chapter 8 verses one through two condemnation is no longer upon you. But freedom is your song Romans 828 did you know that God is working all things together for your good to hear that not a couple things.

Not a few things now thing here, not a thing there all things together.for your bad not to hinder you but for your good and his glory flipping chapter 1 verse six God has started to work in you and guess what church he done is not done whatever whatever the issues been going on in your life. He has started that work in you and he will not stop until it's been made point flipping chapter 3 verse 20.

Guess what your citizenship used to be. As an alien in the far country, but now oh now.

Your soul has a new citizenship with the king and his kingdom second Timothy chapter 1 verse seven. Fear is no longer your M.O., but now you have a spirit of love, a sound mind and power.

Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. He is forming you.

He is molding you he is making you to be the man in the woman that he is calling you to be and when you hear those truth. What do we do that we don't flatly sell right so 134 verse two lift your hand in the sanctuary and bless the Lord lift the sanctuary bless the Lord some 32 verse 11 be glad in the Lord and rejoice the righteous and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. Some 47 verse one.

Clap your hands all you people shout for God with the voice of triumph we hear people shine like Ezra chapter 3 verse 11 and they sing responsively praising and giving thanks to the Lord for he is good and his steadfast love endures forever towards his people and all the people shouted with a great shout.

When they praise the Lord know what I'm not saying I'm not things. Please hear me okay semiology secretary like on notice to go terribly wrong. I'm not saying we need you to bring like your worship banners and run up and down the aisles doing super dancing okay we don't need that we don't want that.

In fact, prescriptions 14 tells us that there is order.

That should be had in the worship service. But what I am saying comes a step on your toes for second. What I am saying in the name of all that's holy and sacred do something respond to the great love of Christ respond.stay with your pocket, lift a finger up smile, something because what was lost now found I got seven minutes. I got a roll number three we are better together now. If I were to ask you about what you perceive to be the significance of the lost sheep in this parable would probably get a few different answers all across the room John about the past, offering those verses run nothing up off the blood vessel in the head. But what Jesus says the significance of the lost sheep is relaxing might surprise you. Okay sheep that was lost wasn't significant because it was the president or vice president of the company, orthodontic, an incredible work for some local outreach team. The significance of the lost sheep are similar that it was lost to budget and to be lost from something means you've gone away from where you were supposed to be I don't know made. Maybe she can start as a middle adult middle school boy sheep who did something stupid that his friends there to do. Or maybe the sheep was a sheep got some bad marriage advice sheep number 73 under sheep in the side to go out on his own and try some new things and now all of a sudden his Lawson is up to his neck and then the reality is that the sheep was lost and alone now. If you find your place in an in a place of isolation you find yourself in place of isolation.

It's probably a good indicator that you're not where you're supposed to be okay. In this she was alone, isolated and in danger and it needed to be brought back but brought back to where brought back to the relationship with that Shepherd and to the sheep. Now if you remember the context of this statement.

It's actually setting himself up for Syria should have his Jesus is talking to two groups of people and they could not be more different from a not want to get the stuck up religious right is the actual intended audience and then you have the tax collectors and the sinners. The tax collectors and the sinners had no value in the kingdom of God in the eyes of the religious they had no business at the table and the fact that Jesus associated them with him than himself in their eyes is actually an indictment on his sinfulness. Why did the religious leaders think out about these people because they did not follow the ways of God like they did.

They did not obey all the rituals all the laws and all the ceremonies they live. The heathen lives they were stealing, robbing lots of free sexuality. All of those things in history tells us that the tax collectors were most hated groups of people on the planet.

They were hardened criminals in the eyes of the Jews. One scholar says as he says in Jewish culture. Tax collectors were formally cursed because they were turncoat Jews who'd sold their souls to buy Roman tax gathering franchises so they could pray on their fellow Jew.

They were low in every single way synagogues would even accept their offerings. Their testimony would not even be received in a Jewish court, they were considered worse than the heathen themselves. They basically took a tax collector. As far as we can tell they took around 90% of the household income instant that money back to Rome to fund the mighty empires Army junk.

I set 90% you think you be ticked off. I got it ticked off turn taxis if 90% on punches somebody in the throat.

Okay, these people were crooks. They were literally the modern-day version of Bird Bernie made off Bernie made off with with these men on top of that you got another class of people called the sinners. Now this is big because it's not just the bless their heart, he's just a little sinner.

That's not what is talking about here. This is an entirely different class of people think slave traders and strippers. These people were immoral in their business practice.

But then on top of that it wasn't only their business practice. But they were socially not accepted.

These were people who were born with deformities at mingle faces eyeballs Don arm drift off. Think about the beggar on the streets of Delhi. These two crowds could not be more different one. Where's the button up dress shirt and khaki pants ties there. 10% there involved in a summit small group. They comb their hair from left to right and they use hair product they drive a nice car, and they wear Sauvage cologne and they know it. The other group. Could you imagine just for second, the stench around the table with Jesus, knowing ask a question when you think about the church which group of people do we have more in her mind. I think the reality of this passage that most of us are more like the religious right, and we are like the tax collector in the center. We stand from afar and we mutter.

How do we associate ourselves with this, you see Jesus listen. He is not. After a people that fit our depiction of what the church should be the kingdom of God is far greater than what we can imagine Jesus is passionately seeking after you and he seeking after those in our communities that are orphans that are at risk that come from a different racial background and you do for unwed mothers, widows, strippers, alcoholics, drug users, adulterers, workaholics, thieves. They come from good moral families across the street, his kingdom knows no boundaries and limitations.

Why do we put them on. Note there's two different ways that we can look that community. So this illustration today from Buddy Monday Brad and it rocked me and I will leave us with this illustration today.

There's two different ways that we can view community light of the world. This community is a something like this, you get a group of people who come from different backgrounds, different ages, different races right in the you not to unite around something like let's get together got on I don't know what it is that we get together on but let's you say it is 14. Maybe it's a cause maybe something that's driving them forward and enter your huddled around at the got that thing that's identifying them there, but there's two problems with this way of looking at community number one it's inward facing all they can see are the people that are in their group sounds a lot like the religious leaders you know what, here's the other issue with this, not the world sees the lost sheep on the hill in the wilderness.

These their backsides alone if that's an indictment on the church today. You see the reality if I'm reading the Scripture correctly of what God has called his people to looks nothing like this. But God has called us to be people that unite because Greg was shown a group of people that unite that lock arms together and we are united around one thing that's the centrality of our salvation is found in Christ alone that the confession of our faith is that Jesus is Lord, but we are no longer navelgazing community looking more like a country club that we are an outward facing group of people living lives on mission looking for the one that means you no longer pull up to the stoplight in your city and turn your face away from the beggar you smile.

Adam you show them the loving grace of Christ to meet you no longer walk to the other side of the hallway at your workplace because you don't like the person or the sexuality what you look for them and you run hard after that when you pray that God would bring them to a place of repentance we can see the one we were inward facing God as part of your people that have set our hearts on him and her feet to the hills, Lord Jesus, would you make is that type of guy we long to be a people that unite around the beautiful truth that you are our shepherd that you pursued us in our wilderness. You lay down your life for us, he redeemed us and you call us by name and we are yours but God, we repent of our idolatry. We repent of our greed and of our selfishness. We would be people to turn our eyes to the hills so we can see those that you are pursuing as well make us that people for your name and your glory in Jesus name we pray.

Amen